Don't Dream, It's Over
by generalquistis
Summary: A new life, a new start... but Tifa Lockheart meets a severely-injured stranger and takes him in to care for him... but he doesn't know who he is. As time passes, she grows fond of him, but will she still love him once she finds out who he really is?
1. One

Don't Dream It's Over

By: General Quistis

Disclaimer: ff7 I don't own; it doesn't even own me, ya? The title's inspired by Sixpence None the Richer's song. Nyargh.

Author's note: this is going to be bad; you don't need to remind me anymore. If you flame it, may God have mercy on your soul… no rude reviews please. If you're just gonna badmouth me, get out of here.

Oh yeah, would you believe that this is the evil sequel to my fic with Zhakeena entitled "_Interrupted By Fireworks!"_? Believe it… Yeah, and if you're just gonna say that it sucks, I'll say it first before you can: it sucks! Mwahahahahahahaha! (Forgive me for being so negative. I'm just tired of sick reviewers and goddamn critics who can't understand).

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She starts the day by opening her eyes and gazing up at the ceiling of her bedroom in her old house in Nibelheim. 

It's a new life; a new start.

Alone.

But she doesn't care…

Or does she?

She remained there, doing nothing for few seconds; unblinking and just staring up at the old ceiling. Finally, upon hearing the bells of the church playing a tune, she got up.

"7:00 am," she realized.

She went to the bathroom, spent around fifteen minutes inside before coming out again… but not in the usual clothing that we have seen her wearing most of the time…

It was a plain long purple sundress and a pair of black thong slippers. She headed to the kitchen and began to prepare herself a simple breakfast consisting of scrambled eggs and toasted bread. 

After eating, she drank a full glass of water and proceeded outside, inhaling the fresh air. She sighed heavily with a slight smile on her face as she looked up at the sunny skies.

"Good morning, Tifa,"

She turned her gaze to the woman who was doing laundry near the neighboring house.

Tifa smiled at the woman. "Good morning, Ma'am," she said.

"What are you up to now, huh?" the woman asked with a wink.

"I don't know… I'll just be doing chores." She said.

"What happened to Cloud? I thought you were with him all these years that you were gone?"

Tifa frowned slightly, "No, I wasn't. We just worked together for some time and then went separate ways. I decided to just go here, I don't know where he went. He probably went to see a very special friend." She said. "…named Aerith," she continued with a silent thought, trying to stop herself from smiling.

"Gee… I've always thought that you and that boy are going to end up with one another," the woman said.

Tifa laughed at what she said. "Don't be ridiculous, ma'am. It's not necessary that a childhood friend will be your boyfriend or worse, your husband." She said before turning away, realizing that there was no point in further discussion with her neighbor if that neighbor will just annoy her. 

Tifa made a face as soon as she turned away from the woman. She walked away, feeling the breeze hit her face. "I wonder where Cloud is…" she thought silently.

Sure, she had forgotten all about the past and fortunately, she got over him in just a snap, but she still considered him as one of her good friends.

"…and where Vincent is… and where Barret is… and where Yuffie is… Oh dear, I miss Marlene… I miss playing with her…" she thought sadly.

She stopped walking. "Great. I told that neighbor that I'll be doing chores today but what am I doing here just walking around and thinking about my friends?" she thought silently.

Come to think of it, she had forgotten what chores she had planned to do that day. She slapped her forehead in frustration. "Tifa Lockheart, you are a stupid, stupid person. Stop thinking about the past so much. Now… what was I going to do again?" she thought to herself. 

She began to go over the things she needed to do that morning. "Hmm… I need to go buy some cheese, bread and fruit… then, I have to go to the Laundromat… and after that… uh…" she trailed off when she saw something black from the corner of her eye. 

She stopped. "That is not a shadow…" she thought. She scanned the place. Surely, there won't be any harmful monsters in town? But then again…

Finally, her crimson eyes spotted a completely black feline that seemingly is too fatigued to be careful. It was mewing a little bit, as if trying hard to keep itself hidden despite its efforts to pull something out of the shadows. 

What Tifa had found strange about it is that it was rather big… like a panther…

"A panther?!" she thought in disbelief as she slowly approached it, even though her conscience was telling her, "If that thing bites off your head, no one else is around to help you! This is the deserted part of the town near the ShinRa Mansion! Nobody comes near this place so don't!"

Tifa shrugged it off and just proceeded. She just stopped when the panther halted and looked up at her. That's when she realized that it was a person that the panther was dragging.

"What the… is it going to eat him?!" Tifa thought silently in shock as her crimson eyes widened upon seeing the blonde man that was being dragged by the panther-like animal.

The panther had this pitiful look in its eyes as it looked up at Tifa. "Meowrrr…" as if saying, "Help, please?"

Tifa slowly approached the panther and gently patted its head, realizing that it was tamed after all. "Uhm…" Tifa stammered, not knowing what to do or what to say.

The panther tapped the blonde man's shoulder with its right front paw, "Reaorrrgh…"

Tifa bent down, taking a closer look at the man, but he was lying on his stomach. "Where did you come from and what happened to you?" she thought silently, examining his clothes.

She couldn't determine what color his pants are, but they were really very filthy and torn in some places. He does not have a shirt on; she wondered why. 

He had too many wounds, scratches and bruises…and burns. "Maybe he survived a fire or something else…" she thought as she reached down to him and made him lie down on his back. He was unconscious. 

His hair was very messy, tangled and rather dirty too…and they were long tresses like that of Vincent during his Turk days.

She bit her lower lip as she stared at him unbelievably. 

The panther-like animal snuggled its head against Tifa's arm and purred softly. "Meowrr?" it said, as if telling her, "Will you help him?" 

Tifa smiled gently at the panther and patted its head again. "Is he your owner?" she asked.

The panther-like animal nodded its head sadly.

Tifa turned back to the man and got up. "Don't worry, kitty, I'll help him," she said before realizing that she had no idea how to carry him. "I could drag him but the ground is too rough… or maybe I could put him on top of this panther…" she thought silently. She frowned slightly, thinking what to do.

She turned her gaze to the direction of the ShinRa Mansion, remembering that Vincent could be there sleeping in his coffin. She looked back at the panther and smiled weakly. "I can't carry him, kitty, but I'll go and ask for help from someone I know. Just wait here for a while, I'll be back in a jiffy," she said as she patted its head gently before running to the direction of the ShinRa Mansion.

Upon arriving there, she was surprised to see Vincent seated by the front porch. "Vincent," she began as she tried to catch her breath.

He blinked, surprised upon seeing her visit. "Tifa, is that you?" he asked in disbelief.

She stopped and panted. "Yes, it's me… I'm… just… having a little problem here… Vincent… will you… help me?" she said with a weak smile.

He got up. "What's the matter?" he asked.

"You see, there's this guy near this place and he's really injured… I was wondering if you could help me bring him to my house because I want to help him," she explained.

Vincent raised his eyebrows. "Do you know him?" he asked as he joined her going to the place where she left the blonde guy and the panther-like animal.

"I don't think so… I haven't seen him before in my life… but he's with this black panther…"

"Black panther?!" Vincent exclaimed.

"Yeah." She replied.

Vincent scratched his head but he just kept quiet. "It didn't attack her?" he thought silently.

Upon arriving in the place where Tifa had left the blonde man and the panther, Vincent stopped in his tracks some inches away from the blonde man, staring at him in awe while wondering who he was.

"What the…" he began.

Tifa approached the blonde man and stooped down, touching his shoulder and shook him lightly. "I don't think he'd be conscious for a few days…" she said.

"Are you sure he's not dead?" Vincent asked as he approached them.

The black panther shook its head. It amused Vincent to find out that the animal was smart and could understand them.

"He's still breathing…" Tifa announced before trying to feel any pulse. "…but his pulse is weak…" she said.

"Looks like he's a survivor of an explosion of some sort… but luckily, he doesn't have third-degree burns." Vincent said as he began to lift the stranger, carrying him on his back. He grunted softly as he did so, realizing that the stranger was a little heavy. "Oh well… unconscious people are supposed to be heavier compared to when they're awake…" he thought silently as he and Tifa began to walk, passing by the less-populated streets so that people wouldn't be thinking of other things about them and the blonde guy on his back.

The black panther-like animal followed closely beside Tifa, its head bowed down like it was disappointed or something.

They entered Tifa's house through the back door. 

"Where am I going to put him?" Vincent asked.

"Upstairs in my room," she replied uneasily.

He nodded before proceeding upstairs. "While I'm at it, go get a basin of water, a washcloth, some alcohol or any kind of disinfectant, new clothes and your first-aid kit." Vincent told her.

She nodded, surprised at Vincent's sudden hospitality to the stranger as she went to the kitchen to get the small basin. She filled it with lukewarm water from the faucet and grabbed a clean washcloth from one of the drawers.

She went upstairs and entered her bedroom. She saw the black panther seated in one corner of the room, observing Vincent as he slowly removed the blonde stranger's shoes.

Tifa placed the basin and the washcloth on top of the bedside table before proceeding to the bathroom to get the rest of the stuff needed to treat the patient. 

She quickly returned to her bedroom and placed everything on the bedside table. "I don't think I have clothes for him… except for my father's old ones…" she said.

"That will do. We need to remove his clothes." He told her with a weak smile on his face.

She raised an eyebrow. "Remove?" she asked.

"They're dirty. It might infect his wounds." Vincent explained.

She hesitated for a while before proceeding outside the room, going to her father's old room; however, upon rummaging through the old clothes, she realized that the stranger wouldn't fit in those… they would be too loose; so she just got a polo shirt and a robe before running back to her room. She almost tripped and her eyes widened in embarrassment and shock when she realized that Vincent had already removed the guy's pants and the rest of his undergarments… but lucky for her, Vincent covered the guy's groin with a tissue paper. 

"I don't think he should use your blanket so I just used some tissue," Vincent said with a silly look on his face.

She blushed, refusing to stare. She just approached Vincent and handed him the clothes. "My dad's pants are too big for him so I just got him these…" she explained with a trembling voice.

"These are fine," Vincent said.

They were silent.

"Well what are you waiting for? Start cleaning him up," Vincent told her.

"Wh…what?" she asked.

"I thought you wanted to take him here so that you can take care of him? You can start by treating his wounds," he said with a kind smile on his face.

She blushed further. "I… okay…" she said before looking at the blonde guy again. That was when she noticed that he was wearing a gold chain necklace around his neck. "Who are you?" she thought silently as she sat down on the bed beside the man and grabbed the washcloth with a trembling hand and did her job.

Vincent started to rummage through the first-aid kit.

The black panther just lay on the floor and slept there.

"I wonder what happened to him…" Tifa said.

"We'll ask him when he wakes up." Vincent declared as he began to help Tifa.

"I just hope that he isn't a hooligan." She muttered with a slight frown on her face.

Vincent stared quietly at the man's face. "Nah… I don't think so… judging by his looks, I think he's a decent man… and I think he's around your age or Cloud's age…" he said.

"I trust your judgment, Vincent, but I don't think that we really should be judging people by their appearance," she said with a wink.

"Yeah, whatever," Vincent responded with a slight chuckle before getting the bottle of disinfectant and poured some on a cotton ball before gently applying it on the wounds on the man's face. "Have you heard what ShinRa's been up to lately?" he asked.

"What?" she asked.

"The remaining executives are rebuilding the so-called ShinRa Empire in Midgar. They're calling it Neo-ShinRa… and the newly-restored City: Neo-Midgar." He explained.

"Who's going to be the president? Are there more ShinRas here on this planet to cause world destruction?" Tifa asked with a frown on her face.

"I don't think there's a president yet…" Vincent said.

To their surprise, the blonde man's hand moved. His fingers twitched a little before he closed his hands into tight fists. He moaned softly. 

Tifa unconsciously reached out for his hand and squeezed it gently. With that, the man slowly turned his head to her direction before he slowly opened his eyes.

Tifa's eyes grew wide in awe and she suddenly became numb. She could recall herself looking into those eyes before… but the memory wasn't very clear.

His eyes were blue… and they reflected hatred, coldness and too much pain.

He looked up at her, his eyes narrowing as he stared into her crimson eyes. "Who…who are you?" he asked.

"I…" Tifa stammered, not really knowing if she should answer the question.

Vincent stared unbelievably at the man, but he remained calm as he spoke up, "Please don't be alarmed, mister. We're here to help you," 

The man frowned slightly at Tifa upon feeling some pain. "…help me?" he asked before closing his eyes again.

In no time, he was asleep again.

Tifa sighed in relief. "What…what the…" she still couldn't understand what happened.

Vincent frowned as he stared at the man's face. "Tifa, are you sure about keeping him here while he's recuperating?" he asked.

She looked at him with a perplexed look on her face. "What do you mean, Vincent?" she asked.

He was silent for a while, thinking of how to explain it to her. "This poor guy needs her help… I think he's really harmless. I'm sure everyone has a soft spot… even the supposedly coldest person in the world, right?" he thought silently. He bit his lower lip. "If I tell her, she might kick him out of here…" he thought silently before smiling gently at her. "Nothing. Don't mind me. I was just thinking. But you can always count on me to help you with him if ever he causes problems in the future," he said reassuringly.

She thought for a while, trying to figure out what Vincent was trying to say behind those words, but she just shrugged it off when she realized that she was still holding the man. She withdrew her hand and clutched the washcloth tightly before proceeding to rid the dirt off the man's skin.

*** 

            Vincent left after he was able to dress the wounds, leaving Tifa with the black panther and the unconscious man.

Tifa had finished at around 8:00 in the evening. She realized that hasn't even eaten yet ever since breakfast, but she did not feel hungry. She had been too worried about the man.

She went down to the kitchen to prepare some food for the black panther.

The black panther seemed too hungry because it was able to finish its food in less than five minutes.

"I wonder what your name is… can I just call you _Kitty_?" Tifa asked.

The black panther approached her and nuzzled its head against her leg as it began to purr. Tifa chuckled lightly as she gently patted the black panther's head. "You're so sweet…" she said.

"Meowrrr." The panther responded.

Tifa looked below the panther's tail and realized that it was a girl. "Oh, so you're a female, huh?" she asked.

"Meowr," the panther responded with a nod.

Tifa laughed lightly as she sat down beside the panther and embraced it gently. "Don't worry, Kitty, I will take care of you while your master is recuperating," she said.

"Meowrrrrrr." The panther responded, the purr getting louder.

Tifa was happy that the panther liked her because she also admired it. She had wanted a pet cat of her own ever since she was a little girl but her father wouldn't allow it because he was allergic… "Well… this isn't just a little cat… it's a big cat!" she thought with a secret smile on her face.

With that, she got up and watched the panther go to the living room area. The black panther settled down on the carpet by the couch and lay there, ready to fall asleep.

Tifa smiled softly before proceeding upstairs. She headed for her bedroom and she was thankful that Vincent was kind enough to dress the man with the robe before he left.

She stopped her giggle before going to her closet to get her pajamas. She felt so tired and all she wanted to do was sleep. After she got dressed, she realized that her bed was occupied. She sighed heavily as she proceeded downstairs, thinking of sleeping on the couch, but she stopped halfway when she thought of guarding her patient. "Oh well… he might be needing me up here… so I'll just stay here and sit on that chair and sleep there…" she thought silently before going upstairs again with a tired look on her face.

She sat down by her dresser, observing the peaceful look on his face. She smiled gently, realizing how handsome he was… more handsome than Cloud… "Hehehe… if ever Cloud _is_ handsome… heheheh…" she thought with a mean look on her face. She snickered before yawning sleepily. With that, she leaned back on the chair and closed her eyes.


	2. Two

Don't Dream It's Over

By: General Quistis

Disclaimer: ff7 I don't own; it doesn't even own me, ya? The title's inspired by Sixpence None the Richer's song. Nyargh.

Author's note: this is going to be bad; you don't need to remind me anymore. If you flame it, may God have mercy on your soul… no rude reviews please. If you're just gonna badmouth me and this story, get out of here. I just wrote this out of boredom and too much daydreaming. 

Sorry if the updates might take too long because I cannot do several things at a time like studying and relaxing….. -.-' oh yeah, I write to relax. So there!

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-Two-

            "What a nasty dream…" Tifa thought miserably as she made her way downstairs the next morning. She dreamt of herself getting hitched to Rufus ShinRa… and she actually loved him… and they had three children and they settled in the ShinRa Mansion in Nibelheim. 

She scratched her head with a disgusted look on her face. "I don't think so…" she muttered glumly as she began to make herself some breakfast.

The black panther just woke up and went to her. "Meowrrr," it said.

"Oh, good morning, Kitty." She greeted cheerfully.

"Meowrrr," the black panther purred happily as it nuzzled its head against Tifa's right leg.

"Hold on a minute, I'm giving you some milk," she said with a smile.

"Meowr?"

Tifa got a plastic bowl and got the milk carton from the refrigerator.

The black panther observed her silently, watching her every move. 

After a few seconds, Tifa settled the bowl of milk on the floor so that the black panther could drink it.

With that, she proceeded in cooking her breakfast as she thought of other things, "I need to find a job to cover up for the expenses… but who the hell is going to take care of the house while I'm gone? I can't leave Kitty and the man upstairs alone here… besides, he's still unconscious…" she thought silently.

She began to fry some bacon. "It would be too embarrassing if I tell Vincent to do some house-sitting… and it would be too expensive to hire a caregiver… but why not send this man to the hospital? Oh well… that'd be expensive. I might even end up paying for everything…" she thought silently with a frown on her face.

A few moments later, while she was eating, she recalled the time when he opened his eyes and stared at her. She realized that she had seen those eyes before… 

…and maybe even the guy himself…

Somewhere.

*** 

            _Someday…_

Someday… 

His own voice echoed through his mind, but he could not remember why he was thinking about that word…

…and when he said it.

With that, he opened his weary eyes and gazed up at the wooden ceiling a few meters above him. "Where am I?" he thought silently as he struggled to sit up despite the excruciating pain surging through his whole body. He grunted and moaned in agony as he did so, but he was able to sit down in spite of it all. "Ow…" he muttered before examining his arms and legs. "Where did these come from?" he thought silently.

He was interrupted when he saw this young lady standing by the doorway, staring at him in awe.

She smiled at him. "I… I didn't mean to surprise you, sir." She said as she approached him.

He moved slightly away from her, staring up at her in awe. "Wh…who are you?" he asked with wide eyes.

She stopped. "I'm sorry if I forgot to introduce myself… my name is Tifa Lockheart… but you can call me Tifa. I found you in the streets outside and I just had to take you here so that I can take care of you." She said uneasily.

He stared hard at her. "Why? What happened to me?" he asked.

She froze. "You… you mean you don't know?" she asked.

He shook his head with a disappointed look on his face. "I… I can't remember anything…" he said before looking down at his hands.

"What's your name?" she asked as she sat down beside him on the bed.

He looked back at her with innocent blue eyes. "Ru…" he stopped. He didn't know how to continue. "My name starts with an R… followed by a U… but… I can't… remember it… why?!" he thought in disbelief as he touched his head with his trembling hands. "I… I don't know!" he responded softly with a trembling voice.

Tifa's eyes were wide in awe as she stared at him. "Don't tell me… he has amnesia?!" she thought in disbelief.

"What's going on with me?" he asked in total disappointment as he lay down again, wanting to cry… though something from deep inside him is stopping him from doing so.

She held his hand gently. "There, there… it's alright… maybe you're just a little shaken by the events… you should just continue to rest and maybe concentrate a little more…" she said reassuringly, not really knowing what to say.

He definitely looked frightened of something, but they don't know what it is. He stared up into her crimson eyes and quick flashes began to return to his mind; but before he could grasp them into his memory, he lost them… and he couldn't think about them anymore. 

"T…Tifa?" he asked as his eyes narrowed and his right hand reached up to her cheek and gently touched it. Tifa slightly blushed as he did so, not really knowing what to do. 

He could not even understand why he felt so attached to her all of a sudden… like he had known her for a long time already but he just couldn't remember when.

It made his head ache and he began to cringe in pain again as he withdrew his hand from her face and held his own head. 

"Are you okay?" she asked, feeling more worried about him.

"I… I don't know…" he stammered before closing his eyes again.

Tifa waited for him to open his eyes again or to speak up to her again, but he didn't. She realized that he was already asleep. She sighed in relief before she got up to her feet to change her clothes before proceeding out of her house going to the ShinRa Mansion.

*** 

[There is freedom within;  
There is freedom without.  
Try to catch the deluge with a paper cup]

            _"President Rufus, get out of the office!"_

Even his conscience kept on repeating the same command to him, but he wouldn't follow it. "I will die anyway… I just knew it… even before…" he would tell himself.

_His eyes did not even widen when the explosion occurred; he just stood still there…_

"Fire will consume me… I will die…" 

*** 

            He opened his blue eyes and gazed up at the ceiling with a tired look on his face.

"It's that dream again…" he thought silently.

He saw that it was already evening because of the dimness of the room. He could tell that there was a lamp on the bedside table to his right which served as the only light of the room. "What room?" he thought silently.

"Oh, so you're awake,"

He turned his gaze to the direction where he heard the masculine voice and saw a man wearing red and black. He had long black hair and red eyes. He was also wearing a red bandanna on his head. The man smiled kindly at him. "How do you do?" he asked. 

He did not answer.

The man kept on smiling at him, "My name is Vincent. What's yours?"

"Vincent?" he repeated curiously.

Silence.

Vincent stared curiously at him. "Yes, that is my name. What is your name?" he asked with a friendly smile on his face.

The man blinked and stared up at Vincent Valentine with curious eyes. "I… I am not sure… I can't remember it…" he said with a disappointed look.

Vincent raised his eyebrows at him. "You can't remember your name?" he asked.

The man shook his head. 

Vincent sighed heavily.

"But you must know who I am," the man continued.

Vincent turned to him with a curious gaze. "You do resemble someone I've seen before," he said. "But that doesn't mean that I know your name." He continued with an apologetic look on his face; but he didn't know why somewhere in his mind, someone was telling him, "Rufus."

Tifa entered the room with the first aid kit. She stopped in her tracks when she realized that he was already awake. "Oh, so you're already awake." She told the man before proceeding.

The man looked up at her with curiosity. "Tifa?" he asked, feeling so unsure.

She smiled as she placed the first aid kit on top of the bedside table. It was quite a relief that he could remember her name. "Yes, that's me," she said before she sat down on the bed.

"He can't remember his name," Vincent told her.

Tifa nodded. "Like what I've told you before…" she said.

Vincent studied Tifa. "He resembles someone, don't you think?" he asked.

Tifa blinked at him then turned to the man again, staring hard at him. "I don't really recall…" she stammered.

"Think harder." Vincent convinced.

The man frowned slightly as he looked away from Tifa; that's when her mouth dropped open when she suddenly remembered someone upon seeing him frown. "Oh yes! I know… He looks like…" she trailed off, not really sure if she should mention the name.

Vincent patted the man's shoulder. "Well, since you can't remember your name, Tifa and I might as well name you temporarily… hopefully it is also your real name. But I'm sure Tifa can help you." He said reassuringly.

The man stared up at him. "My name?" he asked.

"Yes, your name," Vincent replied.

"What is my name?" the man asked.

Silence.

"Rufus." Vincent replied with a stiff tone.

"Rufus?" the man repeated, his eyes widening before turning to Tifa and looking at her.

"Are you saying that I'm fat? Because I'm sugar-high enough to kick you off this Planet,"

_"No… on the contrary, actually. You have a… I mean, you're a very attractive woman,"_

_"I do hope you're not a pervert…"_

"N-no, of course not! I'm simply too refined to be a pervert…" 

The man looked away upon hearing those voices in his head… like a memory from the past…

"Yes, that will be your temporary name. Maybe as time goes by, you'll be able to remember who you really are and what your real name is." Vincent said kindly.

Tifa had this nervous look on her face as she turned to Vincent, "Vincent, are you sure it's a good idea to name him _Rufus_?" she asked, feeling a little bit queasy upon the idea.

"Why? What's wrong with _Rufus_?" he asked.

The man thought for a while, the name _Rufus_ whirling around his head like he had heard it several times before. 

But when?

He looked up at Tifa with a weak smile on his face. "I think _Rufus_ is just fine." He told her.

Tifa and Vincent looked at him unbelievably. "You think so?" the latter asked. 

The man nodded with a calm look on his face. "I feel closer to the name even though I don't know why… like it is almost my real name… if ever that's my real name." He replied.

Vincent raised his eyebrows. "I see," he though silently.

Tifa could feel her heart sinking. "Rufus?" she asked.

"What's wrong, Tifa?" Vincent asked.

"It sounds like… Rufus ShinRa," she replied uneasily.

Why be afraid of him anyway?

"I know," Vincent said. "But he looks like him, don't you think?" he continued with a skeptic look on his face.

"I look like who?" the man asked.

"Rufus ShinRa. You know him?" Vincent asked.

The man thought for a while, and though he had this deep frown on his face, he shook his head. "I'm not really sure… but I've heard the name before… several times… it's as if I can also spell and write it correctly…" he said softly.

"Well then we'll really call you Rufus if that's the case," Vincent replied with a kind look on his face as he patted the man's shoulder.

The man smiled calmly at him. "Thank you, sir." He said.

Tifa was not really sure about Vincent's idea. "He even sounds like Rufus… only kinder…" she thought silently.

"Don't mention it. Anyway, Tifa here will take care of you until you get your memory back. I'll be helping her just in case she needs it, right Tifa?" Vincent asked, interrupting her thoughts.

_ [There's a battle ahead;_

_Many battles are lost;_

But you'll never reach the end of the road while you're traveling with me…] 

Tifa jerked slightly and nodded frantically. "Uh-huh! Right!" she said with a cheerful look on her face.

*** 

But you'll never reach the end of the road while you're traveling with me… 

            Tifa switched off the radio with a deep frown on her face. "How come that song's very popular? They keep on playing it repeatedly in all the stations…" she thought silently before proceeding upstairs. Upon reaching her room where _Rufus_ is, she gasped in surprise when she realized that he wasn't on the bed anymore, but he was standing by the window and gazing up at the night sky.

The black panther was sleeping in one corner of the room.

She was thankful that he did not notice her gasp… or did he notice it but just pretended not to hear anything… just like the Rufus ShinRa? She swallowed hard before speaking up with a kind sort-of shaky tone, "It's good that you can already stand up, Rufus,"

That's when he turned around to face her. As he did so, her eyes widened in awe. She had seen those features before… but where?

His poise and the expression on his face.

Her thoughts were interrupted when he smiled gently upon seeing her. "Hello, Miss Tifa," he greeted.

She smiled weakly. "Oh, just _Tifa_." She corrected.

"Tifa." He repeated. He flipped his hair. "You have a lovely name," he said directly.

Her eyes widened in awe when she heard that.

"_You have a lovely name,"_

She has heard the same line before from the past… in the Gold Saucer… when she met a stranger and told him of her name… "He said those words like that stranger did…" she thought silently, but just shrugged it off. "Thank you," she said shyly.

He stared into her eyes, trying to read her thoughts. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"I should be the one asking you that," she told him as she approached, careful not to wake up the sleeping panther.

He thought for a while before replying, "I think I'm okay. Are you?"

"Why is he even concerned about me?" she thought curiously before replying, "Well… as long as you are! I mean, I wouldn't wanna get worried about you getting unconscious again or your wounds getting infected," 

He smiled at what she said. "Thank you for your concern; you're too kind." He told her.

She simply adored the way he smiled at her. "He's really handsome…" she thought silently as she smiled back at him.

He turned to the bed. "Is this your bed?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied.

He stared unbelievably at her. "This is your bed and you let me stay here?" he asked.

She nodded. "It's okay with me… I mean, I had to take care of you. I couldn't let you sleep on the floor, you know? I want you to be… comfortable," she said.

"Well then… thank you." He said.

Silence.

"You said you can't remember anything?" she asked.

He nodded. "I really can't. I don't even know where I came from…" he replied with a disappointed look on his face as he looked away from her.

"You know where Midgar is?" she asked.

"No," he replied simply.

"Nibelheim?" she asked.

"No. What's that?" he asked.

"You're in Nibelheim." She pointed out.

He nodded. "I see," he said as he turned back to her. "Tell me more," he said.

She thought for a while. "Have you heard of Meteor?" she asked.

The noun made him frown a little and quick flashes entered his mind, but he quickly forgot them. "I don't think so," he replied as he sat down on the bed.

Tifa sat down beside him. "What about Sephiroth?" she asked with a deep frown on her face.

Rufus could tell that she hated that Sephiroth. "What's a Sephiroth?" he asked.

Tifa raised an eyebrow. "This is hopeless…" she thought miserably before finally blurting out, "What about ShinRa?"

Rufus's eyes grew wide in awe when he suddenly felt numb, as if something hit his head or something. He cringed in sudden pain and grasped his head. "Sh…ShinRa?!" he repeated.

Tifa got hold of his hands. "Are you okay?" she asked with concern.

Rufus was panting. "I… I am… I am…" he did not know how to go on. 

Not really knowing what to do, she just mindlessly wrapped her arms around him and cradled him in her gentle and caring embrace; meaning to comfort him. "Shh… it's okay. You don't have to force yourself to remember everything." She said softly.

He had tears in his eyes; he himself couldn't even understand why, but he let them fall.

Tifa felt her heart sinking upon realizing that Rufus was crying. Aerith's words suddenly began to circle her thoughts, "_No one's ever seen him bleed or cry…"_

Tifa frowned slightly as she bit her lower lip. "Reality check, Tifa… this guy is _not_ Rufus ShinRa. There's no way that he's Rufus ShinRa! That stuck-up asshole is dead!" she scolded herself silently.

After a few seconds, he eased up, but he had this blank look on his face as he stared into one corner of the room. "Tifa," he began with a hoarse tone.

"Hmm?" she turned to him.

"Why are you nice to me?" he asked.

"Man, he sounds like a child…" she thought silently before replying, "Because I should. You need it," she pointed out, though she really felt embarrassed to voice out the truth.

Silence.

"Tifa," he began again.

"Yes, Rufus?" she responded softly with a tired look on her face.

"What is ShinRa?" he asked.

Silence.

"Am I one of those?" he asked.

Tifa's eyes grew wide. "ShinRa is evil. They're this family that once walked the face of this planet..." She told him stiffly, remembering everything that ShinRa had caused in her life… not only hers, but also to the majority of her friends.

"You hate them?" he asked.

"Yes, I do." She replied stiffly, her grip on him loosening.

He slowly slipped off from her grasp, his mind suddenly confused. Tifa slowly pushed him down on the bed. "Just rest there, okay?" she asked with a kind smile on her face.

[_Hey now, hey now; don't dream, it's over…]_

He smiled gently at her as he nodded, but as she turned out the lights, he was thinking, "If Tifa hates ShinRa, I do hope that I am not from that family…"

[_Hey now, hey now; when the world comes in…_]

-------------------------------------------------------------- 

Author's notes: Hmmm….. Rufus hoped that he's not a ShinRa, huh? =) We'll see about that…. ;-) 


	3. Three

Don't Dream It's Over

By: General Quistis

Disclaimer: ff7 I don't own; it doesn't even own me, ya? The title's inspired by Sixpence None the Richer's remake of the song. Nyargh. Oh yeah… the original singer of this song is an Aussie band (am I right?) called _Crowded House_. FYI only. Bwaargh….. -.-'

Author's note: this is going to be bad; you don't need to remind me anymore. If you flame it, may God have mercy on your soul… no rude reviews please. If you're just gonna badmouth me and this story, get out of here. I just wrote this out of boredom and too much daydreaming. 

Sorry if the updates might take too long because I cannot do several things at a time like studying and relaxing….. -.-' oh yeah, I write to relax. So there!

REMINDER in case you're in a blur or you don't know: This is the sequel to "_Interrupted By Fireworks!"_ by me and my cousin Zhakeena. =)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

-Three-

            Five months later, Rufus was already active enough to help with the household chores. Tifa was amazed at how he could not even hold a broom properly; and she realized that she still has a lot to teach him… though she realized that he was very intelligent when it comes to math and comprehension. He does the computation for the household expenses and he was even better than her.

Still, he could not remember who he was.

            "So how's your patient?" Vincent asked Tifa one afternoon when she visited the ShinRa Mansion, taking a break from walking the big black panther around the secluded areas of Nibelheim.

The black panther yawned and looked around the place like it was too familiar for her.

"He's not my patient anymore… he works for me," she said with a joking tone.

Vincent sighed heavily. "So, any luck?" he asked.

She shook her head as she smiled sadly. "No. He still can't remember anything. But do you remember the time when I mentioned to you about that evening when I asked him about ShinRa? He must've been a victim of ShinRa too," she said.

Vincent was silent.

Tifa noticed his sudden silence. "What are you thinking of, Vincent?" she asked.

He smiled weakly at her. "Never mind," he replied, but he was really thinking, "Yeah… Rufus ShinRa is also a victim of his own family. It makes sense to me… I'm positive that that guy in Tifa's care is Rufus ShinRa… though I think I still need to verify it from Cloud's point of view… even Barret…"

Tifa suddenly giggled.

Vincent raised his eyebrows at her. "What's funny?" he asked.

She shrugged and smiled dreamily. "Oh Vincent… since you're my only friend here in Nibelheim, I guess I could trust you with something?" she asked.

He could sense something big coming. "What is it?" he asked casually as he discreetly crossed his fingers.

"You see… Rufus is really nice and all… I mean, I've only known him for five months and it seems like I've known him forever!" she giggled again.

Nervous laughter, Vincent realized. "And?" he asked. He really did not like girl talk; he wished Aerith or Yuffie was there to just converse with Tifa. Fortunately, he was somewhat emotionally sensitive enough to understand a girl's point of view… just like Tifa's. "Yeah… and she's gonna say that she's developed these feelings for him," he thought mindlessly as he continued to listen, but he interrupted her by saying, "How long are you planning to keep him there?" wanting to probe her.

She blinked. "I'm meaning to keep him with me until he completely gets well, remember?" she asked.

"You mean, once he gets his memory back, you'll let him go?" he asked.

"Well…" she suddenly had this sad look on her face.

Vincent understood before turning to the panther, his eyes telling her something, "Thanks to your master, Tifa is in-love." He tried to stifle a smile.

"Meowrrr…" the panther said.

Vincent turned back to Tifa. "By the way, what's the name of this panther?" he asked.

"I call her _Kitty_. I think it's fine with her… but sometimes, Rufus slips and calls her _Dark Nation_, then he calls her _Kitty_ again." She replied.

The panther lit up when she heard the name _Dark Nation_. She rubbed her head against Tifa's leg and purred softly.

Tifa smiled sweetly at the panther and patted its head. "Good girl," she said.

"So, what's he doing in your house now?" Vincent asked, wanting to change the subject.

"I think he's preparing for dinner now. And speaking of dinner, I think I'd better get back there now. I don't want him to wait too long for me to return; he gets worried too easily." She told him as she got up.

Vincent nodded. "Well then, I'll just see you some other time. Careful on your way back," he said with a kind smile on his face.

With that, Tifa left the ShinRa Mansion with the black panther.

Vincent looked down to the floor with a nervous look on his face. "What will happen to them once he remembers who he really is?" he thought silently.

*** 

            Rufus looked up from the newspaper that he was reading when he heard the front door open. He put down the paper on the table with a smile on his face before turning to the person who greeted him, "Hi, Rufus! I'm home!"

He got up and went to her, "Hi, Tifa. How's the walk?" he asked.

"Meowrrr," the panther rubbed its head against Rufus's leg. 

"Kitty and I stopped by the ShinRa Mansion to see how Vincent is doing." Tifa replied cheerfully.

Rufus blinked. "ShinRa Mansion?" he thought silently.

Quick flashes returned to him.

Again.

He wondered why everything seemed to just return to him in quick flashes or dreams that he could not even remember once he wakes up. "What's wrong with me? How come I feel like ShinRa has a big significance in my life and every time Tifa mentions it, I get those nasty flashbacks but I cannot see them clearly… but should I tell her this?" he thought silently.

"Anything wrong, Rufus?" she asked with a concerned look on her face.

He snapped out of his thoughts and smiled weakly at her. "Let's just have dinner before it gets cold. I cooked pasta for tonight, is that okay?" he asked.

She blinked in awe at him. "Pasta?" she asked.

He smiled shyly at her as he led the way to the dining area. Tifa was impressed. It looked and smelled good. "Oh my… that recipe… only rich people can do that! How did you…" she stammered.

Rufus raised an eyebrow. "Rich people?" he asked. He shrugged. "Well, I just gathered the ingredients and put them together and came up with this… I could somewhat remember them from somewhere, but I don't really know how to call this dish coz I really don't remember what it's called." He said with a blank look on his face as he ran his fingers through his disheveled hair. Tifa smiled upon looking at his hair; he really reminded her of the blonde guy with the same features whom she had met in the Gold Saucer when Cloud and Aerith had their date. She could still remember clearly that night… sugar-high, laughter, stories… ending with a kiss that ended too soon. She told him his name but just when he mentioned his name, the sound of the fireworks just had to interrupt them. And without even saying goodbye, he left her. All these months, she had been trying to think about where he went to or who he really is, but she really had no idea.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Rufus pulled the chair for her so that she could sit down. She smiled shyly at him. "Thank you, Rufus," she said.

"You're welcome," he said with a gentlemanly gesture that made Tifa chuckle lightly. He laughed at himself before proceeding to sit down facing her. "So, what do you want: wine or water?" he asked, referring to the bottle of red wine and the pitcher of water.

Her mouth dropped open. "Wine?" she asked in disbelief. "Isn't that the expensive brand? Where did you get that?" she asked in awe.

He shrugged. "There are numbers in my head… must be credit card numbers so I gave it a shot. It worked. I bought that plus the other ingredients for our dinner with that credit card number." He told her with a proud smile on his face.

She blinked. "But…but Rufus, I think this is too much… I mean…" she stammered.

He frowned slightly. "You don't like it?" he asked.

She felt her heart sink. "Rufus, I appreciate what you've done… but… what if another person owns that credit card and he just sees his bill and wonders when he bought olive oil and such plus red wine?" she asked with a nervous look on her face.

He smiled reassuringly at her. "I know. But I'm pretty confident that whoever owns that credit card, it's just fine with him." He said.

She was silent, not knowing what to say or how to react.

He leaned forward and patted her shoulder. "Don't worry about it, Tifa. If ever that guy attacks us, I promise to protect you," he said.

She blushed, but she somewhat felt afraid. Her conscience was telling her, "Watch out, Tifa…he could be another Cloud Strife-like person…"

Afraid for love to fade before it can come true. See how a broken heart can change a person when it comes to admitting feelings… 

Tifa just lowered her gaze to the table and smiled slightly. "Thank you, Rufus," she said softly.

Rufus smiled at her. "Well then, let's eat," he told her.

*** 

_[They'll come; they'll come to build a wall between us…_]

            "Gyah… so much for rebuilding this ruined Midgar but we have no President…" Heidegger muttered glumly as he looked at the newly rebuilt city of Midgar from the President's Office's window.

Along with rebuilding the ruined Midgar, they also reconstructed ShinRa and had planned to run it in their own hands.

"Funny how we did not even find Rufus's body in the ruins after the explosion…" Reeve muttered.

Silence.

"Kyah… I feel so sick…" Scarlet remarked miserably as she looked away and sat down on the vacant President's chair.

"Why?" Reeve asked.

Scarlet looked up at him with a stressed-out look on her face. Something in her has changed. She doesn't resemble the Scarlet which they have all been familiar with. She looked so disappointed at something… and to Reeve's amazement, she stopped bitching around and making fun of him. 

"I can't bear to think of what if the explosion caused him to be just… scattered into pieces?" she asked.

"Gyah! Don't say that! If it did happen, we could've dug up even pieces of his clothing or chunks of his skin!" Heidegger remarked.

"KYAH! Don't say that! It's disgusting!" Scarlet snapped, covering her ears.

Elena stared quietly at the three executives, then to Palmer who was seated far from the others. The fat guy was looking up at the family picture of the ShinRa family that hung on the wall: Rufus, the First Lady and President ShinRa. Rufus was three years old when that picture was taken.

"Well, at least we can hang this now… President Rufus hated this picture and he even wanted to cut off the part where his father is standing." Palmer said.

There was silence.

Heidegger turned to the remaining Turks. "So, did you see any sign of the old AVALANCHE?" he asked.

Reno shook his head. "Not yet, sir." He replied.

"Why would you even want to search for AVALANCHE?" Scarlet asked as she got up and joined Reeve.

"Gyah… are you even aware that that spiky-headed blonde guy was able to bring back his dead girlfriend? What if there is a way to bring back President Rufus… or even Tseng… or even Sephiroth… or Hojo?" Heidegger asked.

"Let's not mention Hojo or Sephiroth, okay?" Scarlet muttered glumly.

"You know what… ShinRa is really the culprit on why Sephiroth snapped just like that… I mean, if ShinRa did not tamper with JENOVA and just left it alone, President Rufus could still be alive right now." Reeve pointed out.

Silence.

"But what's done is done…" Elena said softly.

Scarlet nodded.

Reno shrugged. "I don't want to sound like a know-it-all here, but going to the subject about AVALANCHE, I think they have disbanded because there's no reason for them to rebel any longer. ShinRa is safe now. So maybe they're just scattered elsewhere in other places aside from Midgar." He said.

"What are you getting at, Reno?" Heidegger asked, turning to him.

"Elena, Rude and I could scatter around in places or just go together. Maybe tomorrow the three of us could head for Nibelheim or Junon or anywhere else besides Midgar." Reno said.

Heidegger thought for a while before turning to Reeve, Scarlet and Palmer. "What do you think?" he asked.

"I think it's fine." Palmer replied.

Reeve shrugged. "Whatever pleases you," he said.

Scarlet just looked away.

Heidegger just shrugged and turned back to the Turks. "Very well… tomorrow morning, you shall depart. You all have your mobile phones. I'll be calling you guys every now and then for reports about your situation. Just stick together, you hear?" he commanded with a stiff look on his face.

"Sir, yes, sir!" the three replied.

*** 

_[We know they won't win…]_

            This time, Tifa slept on the bed while Rufus slept on the floor because he insisted so. "You're the girl, you should be comfortable. Besides, I'm just a guest here. This is your room." He told her.

And since Tifa did not want him to sleep in the couch or in her father's old bedroom, she just let him sleep on the floor in her room.

The black panther was downstairs in the living room, snoring the night away.

But Tifa couldn't sleep. She took a quick glance at the clock and it read 12 midnight. With that, she got up from her bed and slowly tiptoed out of the room, down the stairs and outside the house. 

She took a walk around a part of Nibelheim which eventually led her to the well. 

That memorable well. She hated the memory now. Whenever she thought of the past, she wanted to kill herself because of too much regret and embarrassment.

"Cloud was the biggest mistake of my life… and I don't want that to happen again," she muttered miserably as she climbed up and sat down on it, just like before in the past.

She gazed up at the wonderful midnight sky with all the brightest stars and the loveliest rays of the moon shining down on her. She smiled softly, but she almost fell off when she heard a voice from behind her say, "You shouldn't be leaving the house at this hour alone,"

She got up and turned around, gazing up at the blonde guy with spiky hair. "Cl…Cloud?!" she said in disbelief.

He just stared blankly at her. "You're surprised to see me," he pointed out.

She took a few steps backward before turning away. "Damn, I am dreaming…" she thought.

"No, you're not," Cloud said before removing the lid of the well so that he could get some water from it.

"I could just push him inside the well so that I will finally wake up from this nightmare…" she thought with a nasty look on her face but she stopped herself when she thought of the question on why Cloud is there in the first place.

"I know you're thinking why I'm here? I'm in my old house with Aerith." He told her.

She almost fell down. "What?" she asked in disbelief before facing him again with a look of awe in her eyes. "Aerith?" she asked. "Oh no, he's snapped! Aerith is dead! Poor Cloud! He must've loved her so much that he couldn't take losing her!" she thought with a look of pity on her face.

He finally smiled at her. "Can't believe it too, huh? I received the same reaction from Vincent just this evening." He said as he lifted the pail from inside the well.

"But… but…" she stammered.

"Long story, actually. So, how are you?" he asked before turning back to her.

She couldn't speak.

Cloud just shrugged before turning away. "Aerith and I will just be visiting you tomorrow." He said before going down.

Tifa stared at him but he went after him. "Wait!" she called out.

He stopped in his tracks before turning back to her.

She stopped, two meters away from him. She smiled sheepishly. "I'm so sorry about… about me." She said with a trembling tone.

He smiled slightly at her. "It's okay. I understand." He said.

Then she finally decided, "Friends?" she asked.

He nodded with an assuring look on his face. "Sure." He replied casually.

With that, he parted ways with her.

Tifa sighed heavily. "Finally… I'm free…" she said softly before deciding to just go back to her house. As she walked slowly, she wondered when she would find true love.

_"The greatest thing you'll ever learn is to love and to be loved in return_…"

"Now where did I hear that line?" she thought silently. 

To be loved in return…

"But it's hard…" she thought with a sad look on her face, feeling her heart sinking. Her thoughts were interrupted and her sadness disappeared when she looked at the door of her house, noticing that it was open and Rufus was standing there and staring at her.

She approached him. 

"Where have you been? I woke up and you weren't there, I got so worried about you," he said with too much concern in his eyes.

She was silent.

He just mindlessly took her in his arms and embraced her tightly. "Please don't leave like that ever again without telling me first," he said gently.

She was surprised at first, but she smiled while trying to stop her tears. "You're worried about me?" she asked.

"To be honest with you, I keep looking at you every other time to check if you're asleep." He told her.

"Why?" she asked.

He faced her with a kind look on his face. "I want to make sure that you're okay too. I mean, you've been so nice enough to take care of me here and make sure that I'm okay. I'm just returning the favor." He explained.

She forced a smile, but she was confused.

"Rufus," she began. "Let's just go inside," she said gently as she took his hand and led the way.

===================================================== 

TBC…

Gotta scram for now… I have to practice for TV Production class for tomorrow…. -.-'


	4. Four

Don't Dream It's Over

By: General Quistis

Disclaimer: ff7 I don't own; it doesn't even own me, ya? The title's inspired by Sixpence None the Richer's remake of the song. Nyargh. Oh yeah… the original singer of this song is an Aussie band (am I right?) called _Crowded House_. FYI only. Bwaargh….. -.-'

Author's note: this is going to be bad; you don't need to remind me anymore. If you flame it, may God have mercy on your soul… no rude reviews please. If you're just gonna badmouth me and this story, get out of here. I just wrote this out of boredom and too much daydreaming. 

Sorry if the updates might take too long because I cannot do several things at a time like studying and relaxing….. -.-' oh yeah, I write to relax. So there!

REMINDER in case you're in a blur or you don't know: This is the sequel to "_Interrupted By Fireworks!"_ by me and my cousin Zhakeena. =)

Thanks for the nice reviews. =) I really appreciate them. *oh yeah, and if you're thinking of giving me a bad review, just forget it… like I said, I know that this fic is bad and you don't need to remind me that it is… okay?!?!?*

----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

-Four-

            Cloud and Aerith were silent. "So the guy is Rufus ShinRa?" the former asked.

Vincent nodded. "I am certain that he is." He replied.

Silence.

Aerith scratched her head. "What's wrong if it's Rufus ShinRa?" she asked.

The two turned to her. "Tifa hates his family." Cloud pointed out simply.

"Does she even know that he is Rufus ShinRa?" she asked.

"Actually, there's no harm in keeping secrets… you'll only be harmed because you'll see the person living a sort of lie." Vincent said.

"What's your point?" she asked.

"Tifa doesn't have to know who he really is. I've never seen her so happy." Cloud told them.

"But what if eventually, she finds out? I mean, Rufus's memory could return sooner or later and he might think of treating her like… I don't even want to think about it…" Vincent said before turning away.

"Like what?" Aerith asked.

"Like the way he treats everyone else," Cloud said.

Silence.

"I don't think Rufus is that bad… he's just… stuck up, I guess… but look on the bright side! Maybe with the help of Tifa, he could change. I mean, she's taking care of him pretty perfectly and the least he could do is just be grateful for what Tifa has done for him." Aerith said softly.

"So you've been to her house already?" Vincent asked.

"Not yet. We'll stop by after our visit here." Cloud replied.

"Well then… maybe you could just see for yourselves on how they are doing… but don't say anything that can offend her." Vincent advised.

"Like?" Cloud asked.

"Things like '_hey, Tifa, what's Rufus ShinRa doing in your house?'_ or '_Hey, Tifa, is he your new boyfriend? Isn't he Rufus ShinRa?'_" Aerith answered.

Silence.

"Oh c'mon, guys! I know that you're thinking about those things that I've said." Aerith said.

Cloud shrugged. "Oh well… I guess we'll just have to be careful." He told her before he got up from the couch. "Aerith and I will leave now." He said.

Vincent just nodded as a goodbye.

As soon as Cloud and Aerith got out, he sighed heavily as he started to remember what happened…

Vincent got out of the hotel and walked along the dark streets. "Well… by the time I get to the Gold Saucer, there's gonna be a lot of lights… so I think I'll just buy a few shakes and then head for a secluded area there." he thought silently.

_People stared strangely at him as he walked and drank his strawberry shake. He headed straight for the nearest secluded area a little bit far from all the lights and the noise. He stopped by a trash can and threw his empty glass there before sighing heavily again and looked up at the stars. He then turned to his side and began to scan the whole place. A few people were there… mostly lovers._

_"Mostly lovers…" he said softly, thinking about Lucrecia. He smiled bitterly before stopping upon recognizing a girl with long dark hair seated on a bench and kissing a blonde guy. His eyes widened in awe as he stared at them. "Wh…Tifa?" he thought in disbelief._

_He stared hard at the guy and he froze when he realized who it was despite the fact that the blonde hair wasn't brushed back in its usual way._

_Of course, everyone knows who that blond guy is, Vincent thought…_

_"But how come Tifa didn't even notice?" he thought silently. "Or maybe she's really dating him and we all do not know about it?" he thought._

_Rufus ShinRa._

_Vincent watched silently as Rufus broke the kiss. He saw them talking but he couldn't hear them. Tifa was saying something but she covered her ears all of a sudden when the display of fireworks started. Vincent looked up at the skies and watched the colorful sparks scattering and filling the night sky with life. He smiled slightly, but the moment he turned back to where Tifa and Rufus were seated, she was the only one left there. He wondered where Rufus had went to, but his thoughts were interrupted when he saw Tifa crying. He heard her shout towards the sky, "I'll find you again!"_

_That's when he realized that she had no idea who the guy was._

_With that, Vincent ran off back to the hotel._

When Yuffie asked what Vincent had seen, he would not even say it.

"I am not in the position to do so…" he thought silently as he continued to ignore Yuffie's stubbornness.

Vincent leaned back on the couch as he continued to stare into empty space. "All these time, she's been trying to find him… and maybe she knows that he is the one with her right now… but does she know that he is Rufus ShinRa?" he thought silently. "What if she did know that it's him? Will she still love him?" he thought.

*** 

            "Rufus, could you get the door?" Tifa called out from upstairs as she continued to play the piano.

Rufus got up from the couch and put down the newspaper on the coffee table with a serious look on his face before he ran his fingers through his hair and rushed to the door. 

"Who could this be?" he muttered as he opened the door, his serious look got replaced instantly with a kind smile. "Hi, may I help you?" he asked.

Cloud and Aerith stared hard at him.

Rufus stared into Cloud's eyes and again, he saw flashes. Quick flashes.

But they quickly faded away. "Yes?" Rufus asked.

Aerith smiled cheerfully at him. "Good morning, is Tifa here?" she asked.

Rufus raised his eyebrows at her. "Oh yes. She's upstairs… I'm sure you can hear her playing the piano," he said, gesturing to the stairs before speaking up again, "Are you her friends?" he asked.

"This is very unusual… he's smiling like an ordinary guy and he's nicer…" Cloud thought silently as Aerith nodded her head as a reply to Rufus's question. "My name is Aerith and this is my fiancé, Cloud," she introduced.

Rufus offered a handshake to both of them. "My name is Rufus. It's a pleasure to meet you," he said with a friendly smile on his face.

Cloud just stared at his hand, so Aerith was the one who shook it eagerly. "Nice to meet you too," she said cheerfully.

With that, Rufus stepped aside to let them in.

The playing stopped and soon, they heard someone descending the stairs. "Did you get the door, Rufus?"

Tifa stopped in her tracks upon seeing Cloud and Aerith. "Cloud? Aerith? Is that you?" she asked in disbelief as she proceeded to approach them.

Aerith ran to her and embraced her happily. "Oh, Tifa! It's so nice to see you again!" she said happily.

Tifa hugged her back. "It's also nice to see you again, Aerith. So, how's it going?" she asked.

The two girls continued to exchange chit-chats, but Cloud was still staring at Rufus suspiciously. His eyes were telling Rufus, "Are you faking it or not?"

Rufus stared strangely at Cloud. "Man, I think this guy hates me…" he thought silently.

After giving it a thought, Cloud forced a weak smile at Rufus. "It's nice to see you again, Rufus," he said with a low tone, audible enough for only Rufus to hear.

Rufus froze as he frowned deeply. "What?" he asked.

"I said, it's nice to see you again." Cloud repeated as he patted Rufus's shoulder.

Rufus stared in awe at him.

Cloud recalled what Vincent had told him and Aerith earlier that day, that they should not say anything that could offend Tifa… and Vincent did not say anything like "don't say anything that can offend Rufus."

"I'm afraid that I don't know what you're talking about, Cloud. This is the first time I met you…" Rufus stopped as the quick flashes returned to him.

It suddenly annoyed him.

"Why must these flashes bother me?! It's driving me insane!!!" Rufus suddenly screamed angrily as he pounded on his own head, basically hurting himself.

Alarmed, Tifa immediately ran to him and got hold of his wrists, trying to stop him. "Rufus! Stop that! What's wrong?" she asked with a worried look on her face.

Cloud just stared at them with a serious look on his face before turning to Aerith, his eyes telling her something.

Aerith swallowed hard before she approached Tifa and assisted her in stopping Rufus. "Tifa, what's going on?" she asked. Aerith tried to control Rufus but he was stronger. She stepped aside and that's when Tifa was able to control him by holding his wrists firmly down to his sides as he trembled and stared at her as if he doesn't know her. "Rufus, look at me." Tifa said sternly.

He tried to move his hands away from her, but she would not let him. She kept her patience with him as she smiled gently at him with tear-stained eyes. "Rufus, look at me," she said.

The flashes returned, this time, they stayed.

It was Tifa. She was eating fishballs with him in a place filled with bright lights. Then, there was a flashback when they were seated together on a bench and laughing. They wouldn't stop.

_"Shall I tell her that I am Rufus ShinRa?"_ was one of his thoughts back then as he saw himself in the flashback leaning closer to Tifa until he kissed her lips.

The flashbacks stopped.

But they stuck to his mind.

He stared unbelievably at Tifa who was looking at him in awe, then he turned to Aerith whose hands were clasped together in prayer as she stared back at him with her worried green eyes. And then he turned his gaze to Cloud and his eyes grew wide.

He wanted to say something but he felt the whole room spinning around him and his head aching severely. "I…" he stammered before he collapsed into Tifa's arms.

Since he was heavy, she fell back onto the couch behind her. "Ow…" she muttered.

"Tifa," Aerith approached her and tried to help her with Rufus. "Oh my God… what happened to him?" she asked.

Cloud shook his head in disbelief before he finally decided to help the Aerith lift Rufus off Tifa. "How long has he been here?" he asked Tifa.

"Ugh… around 5 months or so… I found him being dragged by a black panther. I decided to help him and Vincent told him that he'd be staying here so that I could take care of him." Tifa grunted as Cloud was finally able to drag Rufus away from her. "Where does he sleep?" he asked as he draped Rufus over his right shoulder.

Aerith and Tifa stared in awe at Cloud and his display of strength. "Uhm… in my room…" Tifa stammered uneasily.

Aerith and Cloud stared unbelievably at her. 

Tifa just turned away and headed for the kitchen. "Take him upstairs. I'll just get some water for him in case he wakes up later on," she said.

Cloud motioned for Aerith to go and talk to Tifa. She nodded with a gentle smile on her face before running after Tifa as Cloud proceeded upstairs.

Aerith was startled upon entering the kitchen when she saw the black panther sleeping on the floor beside the refrigerator. "Is… is that yours?" she asked.

Tifa turned to the black panther and then smiled at Aerith. "Rufus actually said that it's _our_ pet. So she's not only mine, she's Rufus's. Rufus is her original owner." She explained.

Aerith nodded. "I see…" she said before smiling weakly at her friend. "What exactly is Rufus's role in your life?" she asked.

Tifa smiled softly as she lowered her head, turning away from Aerith as she tried her best to hide her blush. "He… actually confessed to me last night that… he loves me…" she admitted with a trembling tone.

Aerith's eyes widened. "He did?" she asked as she approached Tifa. "Wh…what happened?" she asked.

"I…I don't know… but…" Tifa stammered. Then, she turned to face her friend with a confident look on her face. "If I tell you what happened during your date with Cloud at the Gold Saucer, would you promise not to criticize me?" she asked.

Aerith blinked. "O…okay…" she said nervously.

Tifa took a deep breath before speaking, "You see, while you were out with Cloud, I decided to spend some time on my own and reflect on things… and so I eventually went to Gold Saucer due to Vincent's suggestion… and I met this guy there who seemed so arrogant at first, but then, in time, I realized how nice he was even if he belonged to the rich people. I liked him at that instant but I never knew his name… I swore to myself that I'd find him again though it wasn't obvious after that incident that I kept on thinking about him. Everyone thought that Cloud was the one in my mind, but no… it was this guy. And now that Rufus is here, Aerith, I strongly believe and feel that Rufus is the one whom I've met in the Gold Saucer!"

Aerith was silent as she stared in awe at Tifa. "Really?" was all that she could say.

Tifa nodded. "I've never been so happy in my life… it's like all of my troubles went away in a snap when he came here… Rufus is simply so special to me and I love him too," she admitted with a dreamy look on her face.

Aerith felt her heart sinking. "I see," she said as she tried to keep a smile on her face. "This is really beginning to get complicated," she thought silently as she watched Tifa fill an empty glass with cold water from the refrigerator.

"But… what if by any chance, he isn't the one you expected him to be?" Aerith asked all of a sudden.

Tifa stared curiously at her. "Huh? What do you mean, Aerith?" she asked.

Aerith shrugged. "I don't know… maybe he's… he's a bad guy… like what if he's Sephiroth?" she asked, thinking of a good alibi.

Tifa raised an eyebrow. "There's no way that he's Sephiroth. Rufus has blonde hair! He just couldn't remember anything that's why he gets so confused and ends up fainting every now and then just like now." she defended.

"I see… but what if his memory suddenly returns and then he just snaps out of his good-boy stance and then you find out that he's eventually a bad guy… like a psychotic killer who escaped from Junon?" Aerith asked.

"Are you against me loving Rufus?" Tifa asked directly.

Aerith blinked. "Not really, but I just want to be sure… I mean, if you look closely, he's still a stranger because of the reason that he cannot even remember his own past and so you don't really know where he came from!" she replied.

Tifa just turned away from Aerith. "Let's just go upstairs and see how Rufus is doing." She said, feeling a little bothered by what Aerith had told her.

Aerith bowed down her head. "I'm sorry if I said anything that offended you, Tifa… I just don't want you to get hurt…" she said.

Tifa was silent for a while before nodding her head. "I understand," she said. But she did not smile.

*** 

            Rufus stared up at the ceiling with a blank look on his face.

Cloud stared curiously at him. "Snap out of it. You can't go on like that. You need to tell her." he said.

Rufus just kept quiet as he thought, "Why did I even wish for my memory to come back?! I never knew that remembering everything could ruin me… I… I don't want to remember anymore… but…" he stopped his thoughts when Cloud patted his shoulder. "Can you even hear me, Rufus?" he asked seriously.

Rufus clenched his fists. "Leave me alone," he muttered stiffly as his eyes narrowed.

"Nice. Back to his old spoiled self…" Cloud thought silently as he sat down on the bed. "What happened to you?" he asked stiffly.

"I don't know… it's Diamond Weapon. That's the last thing that I could remember… and then I'm here already… reflecting on everything, I think I was really injured badly… as explained by Tifa. Damn those memory lapses…" Rufus muttered miserably.

"Are you sure you weren't faking it?" Cloud asked.

"If I was faking it, I wouldn't be here! Now everything makes sense to me now… everything's coming together… even the time when I had an amnesia…" Rufus replied miserably before he closed his eyes. "Can you just kill me?" he wanted to tell him, but he stopped himself. He would not want to sound pathetic in front of Cloud Strife.

Cloud just kept quiet before he got up. "I just live a few blocks away from here in case you need any help with Tifa," he said before leaving the room.

Rufus opened his eyes again and stared up at the ceiling. "Tifa… she's the girl that I've been looking for… but how do I tell her that it's really me?" he thought silently.

He regretted everything nasty that he had done to her and her friends, especially the part wherein he ordered for their execution. "She hates ShinRa…" he whispered softly. He turned his gaze to the window and stared out at the clear blue skies. "I wish I'd been born as another person… another person… not a ShinRa… if it would mean winning her heart…" he thought silently as he felt his own hands becoming cold because of the sudden uneasiness that he's feeling.

He could remember everything from last night… he possessed her completely; able to express his complete love and feelings for her and she understood it. She also returned the favor last night and he had never been so happy in his whole life… and then everything will get ruined once she finds out who he really is. For one thing, he is certain that he would like to spend the rest of his life in that kind of place with her… even if it doesn't provide all the luxuries that his former life had offered to him; with Tifa in his life, he realized that no material thing can ever replace her as the most important thing in his life.

_[My possessions are causing me suspicion, but there's no proof…]_

"This is so goddamn wrong…" he thought silently before turning his gaze to the door, seeing Tifa and Aerith enter. "Rufus," Tifa began with a nervous look on her face.

"Did that spiky-headed jerk tell her the truth?" he thought silently as she approached him and sat down beside him on the bed, holding his hands and squeezing it gently. "Are you okay, Rufus?" she asked with too much worry reflected in her facial expression, her eyes and in her voice… and he knew that deep inside, getting her worried is the last thing he would want to do.

Rufus did not speak, he just smiled at her and then closed his eyes, feeling so tired.

Tifa closed her eyes and sighed heavily. 

"Is he okay?" Aerith asked as she placed the glass of water on the bedside table. 

Tifa smiled sadly. "I think he is now… I think he just needs to rest." She replied.

Aerith nodded. "Well then, I think I'll leave the two of you here for a while. Cloud and I still have to do some cleaning." She said with an apologetic look on her face.

Tifa nodded as she attempted to stand up, but Aerith stopped her. "No, just stay here with Rufus. Cloud and I will just close the door for you," she said with a gentle smile on her face.

Tifa smiled. "Thank you, Aerith." She said.

Aerith stooped down and embraced her friend. "You're always welcome, Tifa." She said before she left.

Tifa turned back to Rufus, watching him sleep and listening to his gentle breathing. She sighed, lying down beside him and embracing him gently, resting her head on his shoulder. "I love you, Rufus," she whispered softly as she slowly closed her eyes, trying to fight back the tears.

---------------------------------------------------------------- 

To be continued…

A/N: that's all for now… because I still have to do my report for Communication Research class… and study for Spanish class… ;_; gyah….. *school is torturing meh…..* @o@'


	5. Five

Don't Dream It's Over

By: General Quistis

Disclaimer: ff7 I don't own; it doesn't even own me, ya? The title's inspired by Sixpence None the Richer's remake of the song. Nyargh. Oh yeah… the original singer of this song is an Aussie band (am I right?) called _Crowded House_. FYI only. Bwaargh….. -.-'

Author's note: this is going to be bad; you don't need to remind me anymore. If you flame it, may God have mercy on your soul… no rude reviews please. If you're just gonna badmouth me and this story, get out of here. I just wrote this out of boredom and too much daydreaming. 

Sorry if the updates might take too long because I cannot do several things at a time like studying and relaxing….. -.-' oh yeah, I write to relax. So there!

REMINDER in case you're in a blur or you don't know: This is the sequel to "_Interrupted By Fireworks!"_ by me and my cousin Zhakeena. =)

Anyway….. for this chapter, I got my friend Tifa (ShinRa Bleeding Beauty) to help me especially for the last part. She kept on bombarding me with ideas enough to keep my head gears rolling while she helped in finishing this. I dedicate this to her and her beloved Rufus (a.k.a. her boyfriend and soon-to-be fiancé). =) Good luck to the two of you!

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-Five- 

            Cloud was quiet for the rest of the day. For one thing, he could not really stop thinking of the fact that one of the most dangerous men (maybe next to Sephiroth) is alive and living in his friend's house… and that friend of his does not even know about it!

It was the same with Aerith; she also cannot stop thinking about Tifa's present condition. She wanted to talk to Tifa about her present condition but Cloud just advised her that they should leave her alone. "If she's happy, let her be happy. Besides, maybe Rufus is harmless if you're nice to him…" 

But how long will Tifa live a lie?

Also Rufus?

"It will all be pointless. He knows who he is now, but she doesn't know who he really is… it's so unfair," Aerith would like to comment, but she just kept quiet.

"Well, as long as he doesn't hurt her feelings, maybe it will be okay…" she just decided silently as she proceeded with her household chores while Cloud did the laundry.

*** 

_[But you'll never reach the end of the road while you're traveling with me…]_

            It had been five weeks ever since Rufus's memory had completely returned. Vincent, Aerith and Cloud already know, but Tifa is still clueless. The three had decided that it is up for Rufus to reveal to Tifa the truth about himself.

In those five weeks, he would spend the whole day just reading the newspapers, making computations, staring into empty space and doing too much of household chores. It worried Tifa so much because he would only speak to her only when necessary and only when she is asking him questions… and usually, he would just answer with a plain "yes" or a plain "no". Unfortunately, there were also those days wherein he would just nod his head or shake his head in disagreement.

Confused and hurting, Tifa would just keep quiet and keep her sufferings to herself, though she would still act like nothing is happening especially whenever Aerith, Cloud or Vincent would visit her to see how they're doing… and her smiles would always convince them that everything is okay.

But she never complained about anything; she cannot even cry about it.

Every night, she would see Rufus standing by the window and gazing up at the stars. In Rufus's mind, he would tell himself that the stars are mocking him like they had always did… even during the night before Diamond Weapon caused his near demise.

One time, she asked, "Do you think the stars could hear us?"

He would just bow down his head and would refuse to answer… but in his mind, he thought, "If they can hear us, why am I still confused?"

She never failed to notice the sudden change in him but she never thought of confronting him about it. She'll just go to their bed and pretend to be sleeping… however, he would still lay down beside her and embrace her tightly.

One particular night, when he thought that she was already asleep, he held her tightly against himself and whispered, "I'm sorry," with a voice that seemed to falter.

It made her cry.

The next morning when she woke up, he was already gone…

*** 

            "Gyah… months and months have passed and still no sign of President Rufus… the Turks have been to Nibelheim and even to Junon and all over the world but still no sign of him!" Heidegger said in disbelief.

"Maybe he's really kicked the bucket or something…" Palmer muttered miserably.

"Kyah! Don't say that! He's still alive! I'm sure of it!" Scarlet snapped impatiently as she stomped her foot.

"The Turks asked the townsfolk of each of those places around the world, right?" Reeve asked.

"Gyah… of course! They just replied that they haven't seen him. They think he's really dead! Gyah.." Heidegger replied miserably before he sat down on the couch of the Executives' Lounge.

"What if he's really alive but he doesn't want to go back here?" Reeve asked.

Silence.

"Kyahahahahaha! Don't be ridiculous! President Rufus wouldn't do anything like that! We all know how important ShinRa is to him!" Scarlet said airily.

They were interrupted when they heard the door burst open and there was Elena with a frantic but excited look on her face. "EEEEKS! General Heidegger! Come see! Come see!" she said happily.

"Wh…what?!" Heidegger demanded as he got up from the couch.

"It's President Rufus! He is downstairs! He is here! He's here!!! He just arrived!" she said excitedly.

"GYAH?!" Heidegger exclaimed in disbelief.

Without further a do, they were outside of the building welcoming their President and even had a celebration that evening. He was still the same, except that his hair was disheveled and not gelled back in its usual way. His clothes also appeared too simple and it made them feel a little bit uncomfortable.

He did not say anything significant, but he just kept on staring into empty space like he does not even have a sense of mind or something… Reeve noticed it but the others didn't. They just told Reeve, "Oh he's still that cold guy just like before, so stop worrying about his mood!"

*** 

            Tifa had been trying to control her tears the whole day and as night time arrived, she did not realize that she hasn't eaten anything for the whole day. She just sat down in the dining area, her head resting on the table as she stared into empty space.

"Meowrr?"

Tifa's eyes widened in disbelief before she straightened up and turned down to her left side, surprised to see the black panther still there. "Kitty," she said sadly before she got up, knelt down beside the panther and embraced it lovingly as tears fell from her eyes.

The panther's heart sank upon hearing and seeing her cry. "Meowrrrr," it reacted while rubbing its head against Tifa's neck as if saying, "Aww… please don't cry. I don't even know why Master Rufus had to leave us here!"

Tifa kept on crying as she embraced the Black Panther. "I can't help it… I have to cry… I have to stop holding back my emotions or else I'm gonna snap!" she thought silently.

"Tifa?" she was interrupted when she heard Aerith's voice from outside, but she did not move. She just listened further as the door opened and there were footsteps approaching her.

"Tifa, what's going on?" Cloud asked, but he stopped in his tracks when he realized that she was embracing the black panther.

Aerith proceeded to Tifa and the panther. She patted the panther's head first and then knelt down beside Tifa, patting her shoulder gently. "Tifa, are you okay?" she asked with a concerned tone.

Tifa did not answer. She buried her face against the black fur. 

"We noticed that you did not come out of your house for the whole day especially since it's market day today, so Cloud and I decided to come over and visit. Didn't you hear us knocking?" Aerith asked.

Tifa did not reply. She really did not care anymore.

Cloud turned his gaze to the stairs. "Where is Rufus?" he asked.

Tifa stopped crying and withdrew from the panther. "I don't… I don't know…" she said softly.

From that point, Cloud knew that Rufus had left her. "And I thought he changed…" he thought silently before turning back to Tifa. "Tifa, there's something that you should know…" he said with a serious look on his face.

Tifa suddenly had this hopeful look on her face as she slowly got up, assisted by Aerith. "Could it be that Cloud knows where Rufus is?" she thought silently.

Cloud turned to the black panther. "That cat is Dark Nation. She belongs to… to Rufus ShinRa," he explained.

Tifa froze. "What?" she asked with a tone of disbelief.

"Meowrrr," the black panther nodded its head.

Tifa's eyes widened in awe. "But… how…" she stammered, not really knowing how to react.

"Can't you understand the situation? Tifa, open your eyes!" Cloud snapped as he approached her, grabbed her shoulders and shook her lightly. Aerith held him back from Tifa, "Hey, don't do that!" she said with a look of concern.

Tifa just stared at them with a look of disbelief and awe. She felt like she wanted to evaporate from that place and never to return again. "I'm sorry, Cloud… I'm… I'm just so confused… my mind hasn't been cleared out for quite a while until Rufus came into my life… and then when he left me I was like… confused again…" she explained with an apologetic look on her face, knowing that she had to be honest with him and Aerith.

Vincent entered, holding the evening paper in his hands. "Gee, lots of people here," he said.

"Vincent, you dropped by?" Tifa asked.

"Tifa, there's one more thing that you need to know," Cloud began, interrupting her and Vincent.

Vincent frowned slightly. "Tifa, look at the evening headlines." He said as he handed the paper to her.

All eyes turned to the newspaper and in big bold red letters, the headlines seem to speak out loud as they read it quietly, "ShinRa President returns to Midgar."

Tifa's eyes grew wide as she took a few steps away from everyone.

"Tifa, we're sorry upon not informing you but…" Vincent trailed off when Tifa raised her hand to them. "Shut up! Shut up! Just shut up!" she snapped impatiently before turning away with a deep frown on her face. "So you all knew that the man whom I had to take in here is Rufus ShinRa? Why didn't you tell me?!" she demanded angrily.

Silence.

She just turned her gaze to the ground. "Maybe it wasn't meant to be… he's a ShinRa… he hates me…" she turned back to them with a fake smile on her face. "…and I hate him too," she thought silently, though she felt like something pierced through her soul when she though of that last line. "I'm sorry if I overreacted…" she stated casually as if there was nothing wrong in the first place.

Vincent, Cloud and Aerith were still silent.

With that, Tifa turned away from them. "You know the way out," she said before proceeding upstairs. "Come, Dark Nation," she summoned for the black panther.

The panther eagerly followed her upstairs.

"What now?" Vincent asked.

"I can't believe he also left his pet here," Cloud muttered.

"Maybe he will come back for her!" Aerith wanted to say out loud but she just kept quiet about it and just hoped silently.

*** 

            "But he told me he loves me…" she thought silently as she gazed up at the stars. "Nah… he still had amnesia when he said that… oh well… no use…" she muttered miserably before turning away, remembering the night of the fireworks at the Gold Saucer. "So he's not the one…" she said softly.

Seemingly for her, as she felt her heart sinking, all her dreams just went down the drain and it hurt her badly that she wanted to tell the world how hard it was for her to love and lose again. She felt so annoyed at herself upon remembering the fact that she had given herself to Rufus already in several nights that they were together. 

She clenched her fists before punching the wall, hard enough that her force was almost able to penetrate through hit. Her teeth were clenched angrily and she had this very angry expression on her face, like she was a psychotic killer of some sort. "He used me…" she thought angrily as she tried her best to stop her tears this time. She looked up at the stars with an accusing glare, because this time, they seem to be mocking her and laughing at her… like they're saying, "Tsk, tsk, tsk… poor girl. Love bites, huh?" 

She looked away with a frustrated look on her face. "No use…" she thought silently before she headed downstairs. Upon arriving in the living room area, she noticed that the newspaper was still on the coffee table. She frowned slightly as she picked it up with a trembling hand and read the full story.

It just made her feel so stupid until she reached the last part of the article, "_ShinRa is currently hiring new employees, new cadets for SOLDIER and more workers. For more information, contact the following numbers or simply go to ShinRa HQ in Sector 1, Midgar."_

She froze. Suddenly, she had an idea. "If that's what he wants…" she said with a slight smile on her face.

*** 

            Rufus was not even able to sleep well last night because he felt so incomplete without Tifa by his side. As he tossed and turned the whole night through, he thought, "It's either stay and be hated because I'm a ShinRa or leave and love her from afar… is that even a valid reason?"

Everything from their meeting in the Gold Saucer up to the time when he heard her say "I love you," just before he left her the next day… those memories kept on haunting him. "Someday, I will come back to her and apologize… yeah, like that will be easy." He thought miserably.

Morning came and that's when he felt so sleepy, but he was interrupted by Scarlet waking him up so that he could start with his piled up work in his office.

She did not even wonder why he did not ward her off or snap at her for waking him up so early even if he still looked so sleepy. "Kyah… President Rufus, today's the day wherein we'll be screening for new employees and cadets…" she reminded him.

He did not say anything.

"Kyah… Heidegger's gonna be the one to screen the cadets, Reeve and I will screen the new employees." She explained.

He just motioned for her to leave the room. "I also would like to screen those new employees myself. Just take them to my office and we'll talk to them." He said.

She nodded. "Yes, President Rufus. Kyah…" she said before she left the room.

*** 

            "Are you sure about joining ShinRa again, Cloud?" Aerith asked.

"I need a job. I think this is the only opportunity for me. Besides, I think ShinRa has changed for the better. They don't suck out the Mako energy to run Midgar's electricity anymore. And it's just the screening today. I'll be back this evening to let you know if I made it or not." He said.

Aerith was nervous. "But… I think you'll really get the job. What if you really do? You'll leave me here?" she asked.

"Of course not! There's a new system of SOLDIER. They won't just be based in Junon or Midgar, but they'll be scattered around the whole Planet. I'll see to it that I'm based here in Nibelheim so that I can be with you." He said.

She made a face, "Cloud, that last sentence is really cheesy," she kidded before laughing.

He chuckled lightly. "I know, I said it on purpose." He said before he kissed her. "I'll see you tonight, Aerith," he said gently.

"Take care," she said with a gentle smile on her face as she opened the door for him.

Cloud stepped out of the house, and after Aerith waved goodbye and closed the door, he started to walk. "Better take the new train going to Midgar," he muttered as he headed for the station.

Minutes after buying a ticket and boarding the train, he was surprised when he saw Tifa Lockheart seated inside. She was wearing her usual attire for combat just like before and it made Cloud think that maybe she's going to go to a battle or something. "Hey, Tifa," he greeted as he sat down on the seat facing her.

She smiled cheerfully. "Hi, Cloud. Where are you going?" she asked.

"Midgar. I'm going to join SOLDIER again. And you?" he asked.

She just smiled at him but did not answer. Instead, she just looked away when she noticed that the train had started to move. 

Cloud raised an eyebrow. "Man… I think she snapped or something…" he thought silently before turning away.

"Really now, Tifa, where are you going? You wouldn't wanna get Aerith worried now, do you?" he asked.

She turned back to him with a slight smile on her face. "I'm going to Midgar too. I'm visiting Cid, Shera, Marlene, Yuffie and Barret… especially Marlene! I miss her already," she said.

"You're bringing her a gift or something?" he asked.

"I'll buy her flowers there. She loves flowers." She replied simply.

"Heheh… Better be careful of Yuffie. I think you've equipped yourself with materia and she might just steal it when you're not looking or when you're already busily playing with Marlene," she said with a joking tone.

Tifa laughed. "I don't think so," she said before turning away from him.

Cloud easily noticed the sudden change of expression on her face and her eyes. From happy and cheerful, they turned blank and cold… almost like Rufus ShinRa's. It made him just look away because he was not really used to seeing Tifa like that, but he gathered up enough courage to face her and talk again, "Tifa, look, we're sorry if we did not tell you about Rufus ShinRa in the first place. We just don't want you to get hurt because… we've never seen you so happy before… we didn't want to ruin your happiness even if we knew that you hate ShinRa to the bone."

She was silent. "It's okay, Cloud. _I understand_," she said; but the last two words sounded sarcastic and it made Cloud bow down his head in sudden shame.

"Sorry," he mumbled under his breath.

She just continued to stare into empty space.

At around noontime, they were able to arrive in Midgar. Tifa did not even say another word to him; she just went ahead of him.

Cloud just ignored her and went on his own way, heading for ShinRa HQ. He gazed around the new Midgar and was amazed at the improvement. "ShinRa _did_ change," he thought silently.

*** 

            Rufus tried his best not to yawn as he listened to Scarlet and Reeve interviewing the 100th applicant for the day. Interrupting the interview, he said, "That's enough, we'll just call you,"

The applicant got up, said his farewells and moved out of the room.

"Who's next?" Rufus asked with an impatient look on his face.

"Kyah! Send in the next applicant!" Scarlet called out with a bored look on her face.

Scarlet and Reeve almost fell out of their seats and Rufus's eyes grew wide in surprise and he got up from his seat when they realized who it was. "What the?!" Reeve said in disbelief.

"KYAH?!" Scarlet got up from her seat but she wasn't able to move when Tifa just glared coldly at her.

Rufus tried to keep a straight face as he stared at Tifa. "Are you the next applicant?" he asked.

Tifa leaned forward to his office table, resting her hands on it. "Yes, President Rufus." She replied casually.

"What is your name?" he asked.

"Lockheart. Tifa Lockheart." She replied.

"Any experiences with being an employee or a Turk?" he asked.

"Turk?" Scarlet asked in disbelief. She approached them. "Kyah… President Rufus, I'm afraid that it's Heidegger's job to appoint a new Turk in replacement to Tseng." She said.

"Shut up, Scarlet. I'm talking to Miss Lockheart here," he snapped coldly.

Scarlet raised her eyebrow and turned to Reeve for support. He just shrugged, feeling confused himself.

With that, Rufus turned back to Tifa and smiled slyly at her. "Answer my question, Miss Lockheart," he said.

"No, but I was a member of AVALANCHE. I believe I did well before, don't you think so?" she asked with a sly smile on her face.

He chuckled as he shook his head in disbelief. "Of course. And I strongly believe that your skills in AVALANCHE could qualify you to join the Turks. What do you think?" he asked.

She shrugged. "What ever is your decision, President Rufus, I will follow it," she said.

Silence.

Reeve and Scarlet watched quietly as the two stared into each other's eyes as if they're just communicating quietly by reading each other's minds. 

It hurt Tifa to look into Rufus's eyes, especially since it reminded her so much of those moments when they were still together.

Rufus was dying inside. He wanted to much to tell her how sorry he is for causing her such pain, but he still has this stubborn side in him.

"Scarlet and Reeve, I would like you to meet the girl who saved my life," he introduced as he continued to look at Tifa.

Tifa's eyes widened but she did not say anything.

"What?" Scarlet asked in disbelief.

"Yes, I have made myself clear. She saved my life. If it weren't for her, I'd be dead by now. She's also the girl whom I had met in the Gold Saucer when I made my rounds there," he said stiffly.

Tifa's mouth dropped open. "Wha… what?!" she asked in disbelief.

"P…President Rufus, I don't understand… I…" Reeve stammered.

"Leave the room please. I would like to discuss privately with Miss Lockheart here," he said.

The two did not speak up anymore, they just left Tifa and Rufus.

After the automatic door closed, Tifa realized that she forgot to breathe so she took a deep breath and exhaled ruggedly.

He just stared coldly at her before he sat down on his office chair. "Now you know, are you happy now?" he asked.

She did not answer. She just stared unbelievably at him.

He just stared at her for a few more seconds before proceeding to speak, "I tried to tell you once I got my memory back but unfortunately, I couldn't risk getting hated by you of all people just because I am a ShinRa." He told her.

"Maybe it's also my fault that he did not tell me because I told him that I hated ShinRa…" she thought silently, trying to stop her tears. "But you could've at least tried to… to tell me… I would listen, you know?" she asked.

He just stared at her.

She looked up at the ceiling and then back to him again with a sad look on her face. "And you… you… you left me twice… in the Gold Saucer and then…some nights ago… did you even realize how much that hurt me?" she asked.

"I know, Tifa, I know…" he said.

She pounded her fist on the table, "Well then if you knew, how come you still did it!?" she asked in annoyance.

"Because I'm afraid to lose you," he wanted to say out loud, but he just kept it to himself. Instead, he said, "You got the job. Congratulations. You know the way out. Tomorrow, you can report to Heidegger's office and tell him that you're the new Turk that I hired. Reno's gonna be the new leader of the Turks." He said stiffly.

Tifa's heart sank. 

_[Don't dream, it's over…]_

Everything was shattering.

_[…When the world comes in…]_

But she just smiled at him despite the tears clouding her vision. She watched as Rufus got up from his seat and flipped his hair as if nothing was wrong.

_[…They'll come to build a wall between us]_

She just ran to him and embraced him tightly, clinging tightly to him with her arms wrapped around his shoulders and neck. Surprised, he wasn't able to say anything. He just stared unbelievably at her as he watched her tears roll down her cheeks as she smiled lovingly at him. He was about to say something else to her, but he stopped when he felt her lips touch his and melted into a loving kiss… the same kiss that they had for the first time in the Gold Saucer.

She had forgiven him.

_[…We know they won't win…]_

*** 

            Cloud, after several hi's and hello's from the whole household, sat down on the couch of the living room area of the house where Barret and his other friends lived. "Did Tifa drop by here?" he asked.

They looked at him with strange expressions on their faces. "Tifa is also here?" Barret asked.

"What the @#$% are you talking about? That girl did not come here. Did she tell you that she would?" Cid asked.

Cloud just looked away with a frown on his face. "Never mind…" he replied. "Where did that girl go to?" he thought silently.

With that, he turned back to them. "Guess what, I made it into SOLDIER!" he announced.

*** 

            "Kyah… where is President Rufus?" Scarlet asked.

Heidegger turned to the clock. "It's 8:00 pm, did he have his dinner already?" he asked.

"Kyah… that's why I'm looking for him! He made me and Reeve leave his office this afternoon because he's interviewing _that_ girl!" she snapped.

"Who's the girl?" Heidegger asked.

"That girl whom I had a slapping contest with. Kyah…" she replied miserably.

Heidegger blinked. "Gyahahahahahaha! I don't believe you." He said.

"But it's true! You can ask Reeve!" Scarlet said frantically.

"Damn it, Scarlet. Maybe he's in his room taking a nap because he got so bored during the interviews or something… Gyah… oh yeah, and by the way, I still haven't told you guys that I was able to recruit Cloud Strife… you remember that spiky-headed boy?" he asked.

Scarlet frowned and snorted. "Kyah… now ShinRa is being invaded by AVALANCHE." She muttered miserably before she was interrupted by the sound of Reeve's voice. "Uhm… guys," he began.

All eyes turned to him. 

"President Rufus is not in his room," he announced.

Scarlet's eyes grew wide in awe. "WHAT?! Kyahahahaha! You gotta be kidding me! But where is he?" she asked in disbelief.

Reeve looked down as he pulled out a letter from his blazer pocket. "I checked on his office again before I went here and I found this on his chair," he said before handing it to Heidegger.

Heidegger began to read it with a look of disbelief on his face, "_I will be gone in a few days or so. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. Don't look for me unless you want salary deductions. Signed, Rufus_."

"KYAH! But where did he go?!" Scarlet asked with a freaked-out tone.

*** 

_[Now, I'm walking again to the beat of the drum_

_And I'm counting steps to the door of your heart]_

            Tifa opened her eyes and tried to move, but she realized that a pair of arms were embracing her. She blushed severely before looking up at the person whose arms are around her. She smiled shyly at him as he just looked at her with a rather stiff expression on his face.

"When are you coming back to ShinRa?" she asked softly.

"Don't know… not sure… I don't even want to work for a few days. Maybe I'll just stay here and spend some time with you and make up for all those times that I wasn't with you," he replied with a serious look on his face.

Silence.

"Where shall we start?" she asked.

…

"I don't know… I can't express too much of my thoughts into words, though I really have a lot of things to say to you… and several apologies too…" he suddenly stammered.

She moved closer to him, lifted her head off the pillow and rested it against his chest as she sighed heavily. "You don't have to apologize… I'm the one who is supposed to apologize because I… I overreacted… because I'm afraid to lose you again…" she admitted. She felt better that finally, she could trust someone whom she could just talk to with about her emotions. She could not even express her thoughts that well to Cloud and the others…

And Rufus is the same…

"Me too…" he replied, his lips curving into a contented smile as he gazed up to the window, studying the stars as they shone brightly on the skies. 

_[Only shadows ahead, barely clearing the roof;_

Get to know the feeling of liberation and relief…] 

"Do you think the stars can hear us?" he asked.

It was her same question before…

She smiled lovingly before she closed her eyes, her embrace tightening around him. "Yes, they do…" she replied softly.

The coldness from his blue eyes finally disappeared. "I think they do too," he said softly as he gently caressed her cheek.

They have found each other.

_[Don't dream, it's over…]_

_[When the world comes in…]_

_[They'll come to build a wall between us…]_

_[…We know they won't win…]_

----------------------------------------------------------- 

-end?!-

A/N: man, I think I sucked this time coz I cannot concentrate well… I'm thinking of making a script for TV Production Class with a story similar to Tifa and Rufus but then I feel embarrassed about the idea… ;_; *sniff* anyway, there is an alternate ending to this fic but I don't know if I will put it here because if I did, it will just prolong the whole story itself. =_=' 

Kyah….. ;_;


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